The clip brings you back to the final interview and moments of the great filmmaker Orson Welles. On October 10, 1985, Welles appeared on The Merv Griffin Show. He had just turned 70 and, rather ominously, the conversation brought Welles to take stock of his life. Again and again, the conversation returned to aging and the decline of his lovers and friends. Just two hours later, Welles would die of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles. And gone was the talent who gave us Citizen Kane, The Stranger (watch in full), and The Trial (ditto), not to mention the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast and great narrations of works by Plato, Kafka and Melville...

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Welles truly deserves the accolade of “genius” and ‘maverick.” He lived life on his own terms, but was also very conflicted and hindered by his limits of raising funds for his projects, … and then completing them.
Along with Chaplan, he was, perhaps, THE MAIN GIANT of 20th Century Cinema. I think it is fair to say that his life was remarkable on just about every level you could imagine.
he was difficult, brilliant, and intensely passionate about his work in theater and film.

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Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best educational media. He finds the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & movies you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.